2
12
627
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https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a1cc75a212f15c4194ea920ff9b90199.pdf
4fbff5bf3cf847b3c1b952ca31c310b0
PDF Text
Text
Change Amidst a Pandemic
The date was March 11th, 2020. I remember it being a Wednesday evening; my roommate
and I were having dinner and watching the news when we first received word that our University
was closing it’s doors and switching to an online format. We had the next two days off while
teachers rapidly conformed their entire curriculum from in-class lectures to completely virtual.
An uneasy and anxious feeling warped through my body.
We had heard on the news of various Coronavirus cases around the world, but we were
yet to have any confirmed in Michigan… until today. This whole thing just got entirely more
real. My roommate immediately decided that she was going to head home; but I didn’t have that
option. Although the University chose to close, I still had a job that was planning to remain open.
I worked at a gym facility called MVP where I was apart of the daycare program. I went into
work that Friday, March 13th for an eight hour shift. On my drive in, I was unsure what to think.
I was worried about catching the virus, I didn’t know what to expect because Fridays are our
busiest day of the week, and I didn’t know if it’d be different because all schools in the state had
shutdown. All I knew is that one of two things were likely to happen; we’d either be slammed
and busy all day, or it’d be completely empty. A usual Friday consisted of a couple hundred kids
in and out throughout the day, but on this particularly day, we had a total of maybe fifteen. It was
a ghost-town.
After work, I called my mom on my way home just to update her on what’s going on. At
this point, all three of my roommates had left our apartment to go home. I knew I didn’t want to
have to stay there alone, but I still had to work. My mom encouraged me to stay the next few
days and just see how things would play out. So, as planned, I went to work on Saturday and
Sunday. It remained really slow, which again, was weird because weekends are normally busy. It
�wasn’t until the end of my shift on Sunday night, that I received an email notifying all of the
MVP staff that the gym was going to close for the next two weeks. A sense of relief filled my
body because I could finally go home. During this very strange time of uncertainty, all I wanted
was to be home and with my family.
The following morning, Monday, March 16th, I packed up my car with as much stuff that
could fit and drove home to Illinois. Most of my teachers were still trying to get everything
online so I didn’t have much to do that week. Just a few assignments here and there. It was only
a day or two after I got home, when I received an email stating that the University will be closed
for the remaining of the school-year. I could not believe this was happening, it honestly felt
surreal. I actually ended up driving back to school on Saturday, March 21st, with my mom so we
could move everything out of my apartment. I felt really sad leaving and knowing that I wouldn’t
be back until August. I did the math and from the time I got home, it would be 5.5 months until I
would be going back to school again. I honestly was very unsure how I felt about that.
Fast forward, it is now Thursday, April 23rd and I just completed my last final. I spent the
last month of my semester learning through an online format and I have mixed reviews about it.
Some of my teachers made the course easier by removing an assignment here and there or
allowing you to use your notes on an exam. I definitely appreciated these teachers because, as
they emphasized over and over, all they wanted was to create a relaxed environment during this
time of great stress and uncertainty. Other teachers kept their syllabus as is, which was fine
because it was all very manageable. I definitely think I would have learned and retained more
information if it had been through in-class lectures. Although, to say the least, I still completed
my courses, learned a lot, and maintained a 4.0 GPA.
�As far as quarantine has gone though, I only have one word: boring. I truly don’t know
what I am going to do now that school is over. I wouldn’t say I enjoy school, but it kept me on a
schedule and gave me something to do every day. A part from school, in order to stay busy, I try
to exercise every day. I normally go for a run every morning because it not only motivates me to
be productive throughout the rest of the day, but it also is a great stress-reliever for me.
Additionally, I try to do something creative once a day. Whether it be baking, coloring, or doing
a puzzle, I like to incorporate a little bit of fun into each day. This is honestly such a scary time
to be alive, I know it’s a year in my life that I will never forget. Although it’s a time of extreme
uncertainty because we have no idea when this will end, I am just living day by day, trying to
keep a positive outlook on the whole situation.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID-19 Journals
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled.
The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Subject
The topic of the resource
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
COVID-19_2020-04-23_ANON_009
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Anonymous
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-04-23
Title
A name given to the resource
Change Amidst a Pandemic
Description
An account of the resource
Journal of an anonymous GVSU student's experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Subject
The topic of the resource
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5597ba4e84788293e89f4e3760230d75.pdf
9ece819851c4800b17ceac1feb0eb502
PDF Text
Text
April 23, 2020
Corona Virus and I
When everything with COVID-19 started getting more serious, I decided it would be best
for me to move back home in Illinois from my apartment in Allendale. My friends helped me
pack up my car, and I did the same with those who left before me. My roommates and I spent
one last late night together, still expecting to come back and see each other a few weeks later.
Since that was in our expectations, we all have stuff left at our apartment, and so do my friends
whom I did not live with.
The day we heard we would not be coming back to school to finish the semester hit us
all kind of hard. I have a very tight-knit friend group that I meant here at Grand Valley in my
dorm building freshman year. We all have become so close especially now that been living
separately, we see each other every night we spend in Allendale. We were all devastated we
would not get to spend the rest of the year together and finish off how we should. We still keep
in touch almost every day and update each other on everything going on in our lives. When we
are allowed, we all plan on seeing each other once everything is over, whether it be in Allendale
or one of our hometown’s.
My online classes are going all right. I’ve taken an online class before, which I did not
consider to be difficult. Having all online classes is a huge adjustment to go through. It takes a
lot of self-discipline to get myself to stop being lazy (which tends to take most of the day) and
start doing my work. All the messages that my teachers send through BlackBoard are very
sincere and caring, and many of them have extended deadline when students voiced that they
had too much to handle at some points. I think this has been hard on many students and even if
we don’t notice, a lot of us are handling it the same way. Dragging ourselves up to do work,
procrastinating, and probably not being able to put forth our best effort anymore is seen across
the board with students. I’ve seen this in myself and talked about it with my friends also, and
they agree.
My daily life at home has been going all right. My parents have both been working from
home. I tend to be someone who likes to be alone sometimes, and I feel like this can be hard
for my parents to understand. This is why I enjoy having my own apartment at school with
three other girls who are similar to me in that aspect. With my parents it can seem like they get
offended by me being in my room for a majority of some days, whereas with my roommates we
would checkup to make sure everything is okay and let each other be. Then by the end of the
night we’d end up outside our rooms laughing together pretty much till the sun rose. It’s hard
to go from living with friends who do not boss you around to living with your parents who seem
to monitor your every move. I know it is probably an adjustment for them too with me being
back, so I try to be as understanding as I can since this is something no one could have seen
coming.
Grocery shopping in the beginning was rough and looking at the empty shelves felt like
something I’d seen in a movie. I feel like that came from the initial panic of everything, and
since then it has improved. I can get what I need quickly and leave most of the time. One thing
that I know is still difficult to get is toilet paper, which hasn’t been too much of a problem with
me because for some reason my parents have always made sure to buy more than we need.
�Another thing that is still difficult to get is hand sanitizer, but other cleaning products have been
stocked every time I go to the store. For the most part I feel like I have access to anything I need
to get, and if it’s not there I know it will be somewhere else.
My friends and I have talked and overall, we just hope that we can continue next school
year together, and not have to talk through screens anymore. More than anything I think all
students agree. Yes, we want our summer to not be taken from us, but if it means we get to
have a normal school year next year that would be worth it. We will continue to all hope for the
best every day and do what we can to do our part.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID-19 Journals
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled.
The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Subject
The topic of the resource
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
COVID-19_2020-04-23_ANON_010
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Anonymous
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-04-23
Title
A name given to the resource
Corona Virus and I
Description
An account of the resource
Journal of an anonymous GVSU student's experiences and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on them and their friends.
Subject
The topic of the resource
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7d440a2bfac949af95c6eb713316ea26.pdf
62b38c92b260d830df7ac5f601e89c01
PDF Text
Text
When I first heard of COVID-19, I thought it was like the flu. Now I see that the virus is
more serious than it was conveyed to be; I did not picture the world being on lockdown
months later. When we first got the notice that we were moving to remote learning classes for
two weeks, I grabbed my necessities and left that weekend. A few days later, we got an email
that classes were moving to remote learning for the rest of the semester. I had to drive back to
Allendale, Michigan and move out the rest of my things. I’m from Chicago, Illinois so the
drive wasn’t that bad, but I had to find people to help me and find vehicles that could fit all
my things on short notice. With all classes being online, it was a struggle. I’ve had online
classes before and I know it takes a lot of discipline and time management. I learn better when
sitting in class because the professor can explain it in ways that the textbook may not.
COVID-19 also affects student organizations and jobs. Model Entertainment is a student
organization I am a part of on campus. We had a show scheduled for April 11th but it got
cancelled. I was not working at school but when I came home and tried to work I couldn't
because they were minimizing staff. We can all say that COVID-19 has put our social life,
finances, and daily living styles to a halt. I have known friends that had COVID-19 and are
now fine. I do not work in healthcare but I was thinking about volunteering to help out with
COVID-19 patients. Lastly, getting groceries and household items have been quite a struggle.
Some stores have lines down the block and once you finally get in there, they are out of paper
towels, certain food items, and other basic necessities. We have to take serious precautions
with what we touch in the stores and make sure we are properly wiping down items we bring
in the house. This pandemic has been something difficult to cope with but will soon be over.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID-19 Journals
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled.
The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Subject
The topic of the resource
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
COVID-19_2020-04-23_ANON_011
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Anonymous
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-04-23
Title
A name given to the resource
The Challenges of COVID-19
Description
An account of the resource
Journal by an anonymous GVSU student relating how the COVID-19 pandemic affected them.
Subject
The topic of the resource
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/24b298a2d26f765ea36ebd6ef5f9d166.pdf
25682e37107a2b7f446c1a9c8d9f7804
PDF Text
Text
When I first heard about COVID-19, I did not know what it was to its full extent. I heard about
what was going on oversees, but never anticipated this full lock down situation here in America.
When I heard about it, I was living in my sorority house at college. Grand Valley had moved
classes to online classes a week after our spring break, and that’s when everyone started
leaving. Within a week, I was the only one left living in my sorority house that consisted of
twenty-five girls.
I needed to stay at my house because I work in an assisted living home close to my school,
and my work really needed my help. We were short staffed to begin with, but as soon as the
coronavirus started to spike, people started to call off of work. I was getting calls multiple times
a week to see if I could come into work. I ended up picking up a lot of shifts because I was able
to work more with classes being online. Work was pretty usual for the first week, but then things
changed when we went on lockdown. The building I work in is a memory care unit with mostly
hospice patients. The new rule was that there can no longer be visitors, unless completely
necessary in regard to a hospice patient. The workers also had to be screened every time we
came into work which included taking our temperatures and assessing the status of our health.
The residents had to stop coming down to the dining room for meals and we had to ask them to
stay in their rooms. This was really sad for me to watch because a lot of my residents didn’t
know what was going on, and this virus completely disrupted their routines.
I live in Illinois and go to school in Michigan so when I heard that they were potentially placing
travel bans on Illinois, I started to become concerned. I was already planning on going home for
the summer, so my boss knew that I wouldn’t be working until next August. I had a coworker
pick up the remainder of my shifts for the semester and my parents moved me out of my sorority
house as soon as possible. I was sad to leave because I didn’t anticipate my sophomore year of
college ending this way.
Online school was hard for me to adjust to. I enjoy taking one or two classes online during my
semester, but fifteen credits online are a different story. It was very hard for me to focus on my
�schoolwork when I didn’t have to physically attend lectures and I didn’t have a library to study at.
Six people are living in my house currently: my mom, dad, younger sister, older sister and her
husband, so you can imagine how hectic it is in my house. Most of the time I would
procrastinate my schoolwork and have a ton of things to do last minute.
I just took my last final and I am glad that the semester is over, but I still need to find ways to
occupy my time. There is little to do since everything is closed, and social distancing rules are in
place. I haven’t been in public in one and a half months now, and it is definitely affecting my
mental health by not being able to see any of my friends and socialize. I don’t want to complain
because so many people have it significantly worse than I do right now, but it is hard being
isolated. The only time I get outside in these days are taking walks or runs, but it had been too
cold in Illinois recently to do that often.
In regard to the coronavirus, someone’s mom that I was very close to contracted it. It was
very scary to hear about because the rate of fatality with this disease. Thankfully she is fine
now, but someone having it who you are close to really puts things into perspective. I didn’t fully
understand the gravity of it all until I heard about that. It made me realize what I should be
focusing on in life, because it can be taken away from you very fast. I am grateful for this time I
get to spend with my family. Even though I’m not used to living at home and I do get annoyed by
it, I have grown closer to my family because of it.
I honestly do not know how long the stay-at-home order will go until. The governor of Illinois
just stated that our stay at home could potentially be extended until June, which is about
another thirty days from now. I am frustrated with the amount of people not following the stay at
home and making matters worse for everyone. There are protestors protesting these stay-athome orders, saying it is limiting their freedom. In my eyes I would rather have to say inside for
three months, than have this pandemic last any longer. Hopefully we can resume to normal life
soon, but for now we have to get used to being inside.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID-19 Journals
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled.
The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Subject
The topic of the resource
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
COVID-19_2020-04-23_ANON_012
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Anonymous
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-04-23
Title
A name given to the resource
My COVID-19 Experience
Description
An account of the resource
Journal of an anonymous GVSU student's experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, discussing the student's home life, work life, and moving out of her sorority house.
Subject
The topic of the resource
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/edcb8769cd53cd730ff37b8d239fc2cf.pdf
52341865c97df6add832f1517b411727
PDF Text
Text
I am writing this on Thursday April 23, 2020, I finished my last online final today. Kind of
unbelievable we started this online classes on March 16th. Two weeks before campus closed was
spring break, and I was down in Ashville, NC with Grand Valley’s Alternative Breaks club working on
helping nutrition and wellness with the YMCA. While we were there the first cases of COVID-19 were
confirmed in New York. In that time no one was too concerned of the virus. We had heard of the
explosion of COVID in China, Italy, and other countries, but kind of blocked the thought of it making its
way to the U.S. I think in the back of our minds we all saw it coming though, I mean with the amount of
travel that was happening in the U.S. for spring breakers, plus the amount of travel that goes to and
from the U.S. on a daily bases makes it hard for the virus to not make its way here.
I lived in an off-campus apartment until Michigan announced its two-week quarantine on March
24th. It was then that I went home to stay with my family during this time and have been home ever
since. It was nice to have meals cooked by my parents and a larger place then my apartment to be
trapped in. However, I left most of my stuff at my apartment and also still had to pay rent on it. The
switch to online classes was hard. I had taken online classes before but going from on-campus to
online felt like starting the semester all over again. For most classes I felt like I had to teach myself the
content. Plus, I had very little motivation as being home felt like summer break. I’ve heard from my
friends and they are all struggling with online classes as well. It seemed like our professors were
assigning us more work then we would’ve gotten on-campus. Labs were probably the hardest, as we
couldn’t see the experiment in action yet had to answer questions about the experiments from videos.
Honestly it all just felt like busy work.
The home life wasn’t too bad as I am lucky enough to have a good relationship with my family.
There are times where everyone is tense or gets fed up with each other, but luckily my siblings and I
still had school to keep us busy while our parents did some work from home. We all picked up a few
new hobbies and watched a lot of movies. It was nice to be home as my parents would do the grocery
shopping. They would always come home and tell me stories of people wearing masks at the store yet
taking the mask off to smell fruit or wearing the mask just around their mouth, kind of defeating the
purpose. There was also always a shortage of toilet paper, cleaning supplies, tissues, and at first, meat.
My mom once went to three different stores just to find toilet paper. I worked at a physical therapy office
as a tech before the shutdown. It closed once Michigan started putting restrictions in businesses. The
last day I worked before quarantine was March 17th, I remember that day I kept answering the phones
to patients cancelling their appointments. We also tripled cleaned everything in the office. My manager
has been in touch through the entire lockdown with updates which has been nice.
I used to work at a nursing home as a caretaker and remember a time where a bad strand of the
flu was going on and we had to quarantine residents to their rooms. Everyone was wearing masks and
cleaning anything they touched. That was a bit stressful but lasted a week, so I cannot even imagine
what the healthcare workers are feeling like now. My roommate is a phlebotomist at Spectrum hospital
�in Grand Rapids and she told me a little about their working conditions. She said that the COVID floor
was very well quarantined as they tried to contain patients to just one floor. Although sometimes she
would come into contact with a patient who had COVID but didn’t know. Once the patient was tested
positive for COVID, she would receive an email that she was in contact with them but couldn’t get
tested for the virus until she started showing symptoms in an order to save the number of tests they
had. She also informed me that they were low on PPE.
Everything right now seems very surreal but also kind of normal. As I wrote this, nothing I was
writing seemed out of the ordinary or surprised me, but I could see how in a couple of years this all
would seem like something out of a movie. For right now, however, it’s just life.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID-19 Journals
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled.
The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Subject
The topic of the resource
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
COVID-19_2020-04-23_ANON_013
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Anonymous
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-04-23
Title
A name given to the resource
Life During a Pandemic
Description
An account of the resource
Journal of an anonymous GVSU student's exprerience during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Subject
The topic of the resource
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/681dc9c9957ee54e264ef0104739857a.pdf
4bf1a548573afc6c1e924a8b7ce203bf
PDF Text
Text
April 23, 2020
COVID-19… The Beginning of a Pandemic
The beginning of the pandemic felt so surreal. I never thought that within my lifetime, I
would be living through a pandemic. After getting the news that the university was shut down, I
started packing up my apartment to come home to the safety of my family. This was an easy
move to make as my parents met me at my apartment to help me move out. My experience
during this pandemic has been such an eye opening, yet unique experience. I am a certified nurse
assistant (CNA) at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak MI. As essential personnel, I was pulled to
help work on the COVID-19 units.
Being honest, I was terrified to go into work. I was so worried that by going into work, I
would have a high possibility of bringing it home to my family. One of my co-workers, had got
diagnosed with COVID-19 from being exposed to patients with the virus. I forced the fears back,
just remembering to take extra precautions. Focusing on the patients that I will be helping during
this time.
I remember walking into my first day back at work during this pandemic. Various
thoughts ran through my head, and the biggest reoccurring thought was “what can I do to help
make a little difference in my patients lives?” As a CNA, my job consists of helping the nurses
working on the unit by taking vitals, helping with wound care, turning patients, and other various
jobs to keep the patients safe and healthy. When I began working on one of the COVID-19 units,
I was dressed head to toe in personal protective equipment (PPE). N95 masks, sterile scrubs, earloop masks, and as well as face shields were given at the beginning of the shift before entering
the unit. Thankfully, Beaumont has not had much trouble getting PPE. They are providing one
N95 mask per worker and washing them after each shift to prevent the shortage of masks.
�I had six patients that were diagnosed with COVID-19. This meant that I had six different
chances to help my patients get through this tough time in their lives. It was heartbreaking seeing
them diagnosed with such a new and challenging disease. Most patients were hooked up to
ventilators and hadn’t seen their families in a little over a month. I remember making my patient
smile as we turned his bed to face the window. This was in celebration of him being put off the
ventilator. It made me feel so honored to work in such an amazing field and to be a health hero.
That during their toughest moments, we were able to bring smiles to their faces, and do all we
could to get healthy and home to their families. I have worked on several COVID-19 units since
then, and each time I get to experience more life changing experiences trying to help mend the
patients back to health. As frightening as it is, I look forward to going into work because of the
difference that I get to make. I couldn’t be prouder to be a frontline worker and working with so
many strong and brave health heroes.
I have been feeling well since my last shift at the hospital. In order to keep my immune
system up, I have been taking vitamin, working out and eating healthy. The vitamins that I take
that have helped are vitamins A, D, and lots of vitamin C. Iodine droplets have also helped.
One important takeaway point that has stuck with me from working at the hospital has
been to have a strong faith and have a positive perspective. Even though the world might not be
in the best shape right now, having a positive outlook is so important when getting through the
toughest times.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID-19 Journals
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled.
The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Subject
The topic of the resource
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
COVID-19_2020-04-23_ANON_014
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Anonymous
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-04-23
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID-19... The Beginning of a Pandemic
Description
An account of the resource
Journal of an anonymous GVSU student's experiences, working as a certified nurse assistant at Royal Oak Beaumont in the COVID units during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Subject
The topic of the resource
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/efcdedf04b59a92501260557813004b3.pdf
02f83d3f2cd71af9384376a9cd1840ab
PDF Text
Text
April 23, 2020
GVSU Student
Grand Rapids, MI
It was no surprise that America was exposed to COVID-19 however, the damage it has
done to our nation was a shock to everyone. I would have never assumed business would close
down, school would be remote, online learning, dorms would be emptied, mandatory stay at
home orders would be placed and wearing masks would become normal. As a college student,
there was a stigma that us young people wouldn't get sick. However, we quickly learned that’s
not the case. I first started receiving emails from GVSU professors when we got back from
spring break. These emails stated that those who had travelled to high risk areas decided to
self-quarantine. It was then that I realized how big of a deal this was going to be.
Shortly after students returned from spring break GVSU shut down campus. I live off
campus so i wasn't forced to move back home. However, I frequently go home to visit my
parents. I'm unable to see my friends and was required to take time off of work. Today, i saw my
friends for the first time in two months. We had practiced social distancing, she just stopped by
my house to pick something up and then left. That’s the most human contact outside of my
family that I've had in a while. I also returned to work this week 4/20/20 after taking a month off.
It surprises me how few people wear masks out in public or take other precautions. I wear a
mask and work behind plexiglass at the cash register. However, my work does not require
employees to wear a mask although I think they should. In addition to work, my classes have
been difficult online. I have a few professors who are more than willing to help, accept late work,
accommodate you in anyway possible, send out multiple announcements daily on blackboard
but, i also have professors who have only reached out the day before an exam, don't put it any
effort to host virtual class or take days to a week to respond to questions. I’ve managed to
maintain great grades this semester given the circumstances. I am a part of NSSLHA and NSLS
on campus, these clubs require me to do volunteer hours and attend meetings. However, I am
unable to do so given the executive orders. At the end of the semester we are required to turn in
volunteer logs but they had to cancel that this year because we weren't able to fit in all of our
events before COVID-19 took over.
Additionally, going to the grocery store now is a whole ordeal. I have to wear my masks,
I wear gloves, I keep 6 feet between me and whoever else is in the store, I avoid using carts
and limit my contact/communication. Additionally, I go to the store with a list, I get in and get out,
I no longer spend time browsing. Cleaning supplies have been out of stock for weeks, two
weeks ago I stumbled upon the last two cartons of lysol wipes and I had to buy one because I'm
not sure when I'll be able to find them again. There has been a shortage for certain grocery
items as well such as bread, coffee, milk and cereal. COVID-19 has taken over the way we live
and I'm sure our lives will continue like this for a while. The governor is talking about opening
Michigan back up on May 1st but even if that happens we will still have to practice social
distancing and people will still wear masks. COVID-19 instilled fear in people and I don't see
that disappearing anytime soon.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID-19 Journals
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled.
The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Subject
The topic of the resource
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
COVID-19_2020-04-23_ANON_015
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Anonymous
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-04-23
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID-19
Description
An account of the resource
Journal of an anonymous GVSU student's exprerience during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Subject
The topic of the resource
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/822765e6868debca3c0b35cf56ba7edb.pdf
fe9b0821f8d4501057c1149b2837e617
PDF Text
Text
Journal: Thursday, April 23rd 2020
Never in a million years would I have expected a pandemic to occur during my
sophomore year of college. It’s been really weird adjusting to life during quarantine and makes
me wonder what the new “normal” will be afterwards. I did move off of campus very suddenly
due to COVID-19. When I left, I brought my school stuff, about a week's worth of clothes, and
my toiletries. I left my apartment on March 14th and just recently went back with my parents on
Saturday April 18th to get most of the stuff out of my apartment. I still have things there that
could not fit into my car after the first trip back.
My online classes are going okay, it's a bit more challenging doing every class online,
especially classes that are challenging for me in the first place. My professors have all been
extremely lenient and kind while we all navigate online learning however, and I appreciate that.
Some of my friends that are students are having harder times as well due to stress of trying to
finish out the semester with COVID-19 looming over our heads. I’m stressed as well.
I have been helping out a lot around my parent’s house. Both of them are still working
full time. My mom works from home and my dad still has to go in. I can tell they are both
stressed about not only our immediate family, but our extended family as well. I’m trying my
best to make sure they don’t really have to worry about anything when they are done with work
for the day. As for my extended family, we deliver groceries to every family member that may
be more at risk than us, like my grandma. My friends are mostly just stressed with classes and
bored.
I did have a job on campus in parking services. We stopped working as soon as the
university moved to online classes. If there is nobody on campus, who do we have to enforce?
Thankfully, nobody that I know has had COVID-19 yet. However, my aunt does work on
the COVID-19 floor of St. Joseph Hospital in Howell as a nurse. She has been having trouble
finding n-95 masks and is only provided one a week by the hospital. My family and friends have
been sewing mask covers to go over the n-95 masks to make them last longer.
Usually we don’t have a problem finding anything at the store (unless it’s toilet paper,
hand sanitizer, or wipes) when we go in the morning. We are usually able to find toilet paper at
costco when my mom runs there early in the morning.
It's been tough coping with COVID-19 and the weird twists that it has brought to my life.
It has brought to light some things that I take for granted on a daily basis, like hugging family, or
celebrating birthdays. Things that I’ll make sure not to miss out on in the future.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID-19 Journals
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled.
The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Subject
The topic of the resource
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
COVID-19_2020-04-23_ANON_016
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Anonymous
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-04-23
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID-19 Journal Essay
Description
An account of the resource
Journal of an anonymous GVSU student's life after GVSU was impacted by COVID-19.
Subject
The topic of the resource
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5324a6f56063e30b08f0c710a03d3032.pdf
692e3e90e239ae322a7372996e436dfe
PDF Text
Text
The announcement that Grand Valley would be switching to online classes came out on
March 11 in a message from the university’s president. However, this did not yet include
the cancellation of NCAA division II sports. As a member of the GVSU volleyball team,
we continued practicing for two more days, until it was decided that all sport activities be
cancelled on March 13 through May 31st. I remember coming to practice on that
Thursday and the campus had already turned into a ghost town; it seemed as if we were
the only ones on campus. However, off-campus seemed to be thriving and taking
advantage of not having classes for the rest of the week. I don’t think the severity of the
situation was understood yet, as people were partying in large groups. I remember
joking about how Grand Valley and other universities made the decision to close campus
to limit large groups of people, while students celebrated by doing just that, partying in
large groups of people.
Following the announcement that our spring season was over, we had a team meeting,
which included our coaching staff and athletic trainer. They gave us tips on how to stay
safe and protect ourselves from the coronavirus, as well as discussed how this would
impact our program. Most of our fundraising takes place in the spring and summer, and
this is a huge portion of our financial support for the following season. In addition, these
fundraisers go towards our out-of-the-country trip that was scheduled for next summer.
Thus, having to cancel these events, brings uncertainty about the trip. The meeting gave
us many resources for support and our staff made sure that we would have a place to
stay and food to eat during the time away from campus.
Our team decided to hang out one last time together Friday night before we parted ways,
for who knows how long. I stayed one more night in Allendale on Saturday, and on
Sunday returned to my parents’ home in Holland, Michigan. Looking back, not knowing
when I’d be able to go back to Allendale, I really wish I would have packed more of my
things to take back home. I still have most of my clothes there and don’t know when I’ll
be able to go back to get them. Luckily, I have a great relationship with my parents, so
coming home wasn’t that hard.
I’m finishing up my classes with finals this week and didn’t have many problems as far
as switching to online. Most of my professors have been understanding and supportive
throughout the switch. The only problem I ran into was with my BMS professor. She
started giving us less time on assessments once we switched to online to try and
prevent cheating. Our exams were 60 questions long and she limited our time to 60
minutes; one minute per question… As a student who struggles with ADHD, completing
assessments within a time-limit is a difficult task no matter how much time is given, and
even harder when you limit that time. I’m also a student who likes to double, triple check
my answers and I found it impossible to do that within the time limit. I have heard of
other students with similar problems. Some of my teammates said that their professors
have put a higher demand on them, assigning more assignments, assuming that
students are in quarantine and have nothing but time to do schoolwork. What these
professors struggle to understand is that, while most of us do have the time, everybody
�is experiencing more stress due to the pandemic, without added demand from
professors.
My daily life has changed drastically since this started. Not having practice, which
normally takes up 3-4 hours of my day, is a huge adjustment. I always wished for more
free time and now that I have it, I don’t know what to do with it! I’m extremely excited
about finishing classes this year but part of me wishes I was taking summer classes to
keep me busy. My days consist of sleeping in, taking walks on the beach with my
parents and dog, homework, and Netflix. My parents and I are still getting a long pretty
well and I don’t mind spending this time with them. I miss my friends but due to my
naturally introvert personality it isn’t affecting me too much, as I like having time to
myself. On the other hand, I haven’t seen my boyfriend since the lockdown, and I miss
him a lot. His mom works at a hospital, so they don’t want him to expose me to anything
he might get from being around her. We FaceTime, but it just isn’t the same.
Me and my family have been strict under quarantine and I haven’t really seen the
outside world since I left Allendale. We don’t even go to the grocery store anymore; we
have been using Shipt and other delivery services. The only shortages we noticed was
at the beginning of quarantine when we struggled to find bread and toilet paper.
I’m ready for this to be over and to go back to living my normal life.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID-19 Journals
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled.
The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Subject
The topic of the resource
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
COVID-19_2020-04-23_ANON_017
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Anonymous
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-04-23
Title
A name given to the resource
Corona Journal
Description
An account of the resource
Journal of an anonymous GVSU student's exprerience during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Subject
The topic of the resource
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c8f96483039a3b75cdd215870d0daf81.pdf
17bb79371963a0d636ded55eb5d52c9b
PDF Text
Text
The isolation that came with this virus has obviously had a toll on everyone. For me it has been
a rollercoaster. My roommates moved out taking everything in our apartment including my food, my
toilet paper, the dishes and the microwave. I had basically nothing and was living off of dry cereal.
Because of this state-wide quarantine, I don’t leave much and I don’t do much, other than schoolwork
(which, as much as I would like to deny it, is really the only thing keeping me moderately sane). I am
very fortunate though. I have been going back and forth from my boyfriend’s apartment. He is the only
person I have interacted with since beginning of march. We are able to order food online and now that
both of us aren’t working were very lucky to have our parents helping support us financially. Seeing him
and facetiming our families have also helped our mental health as much as it can, but obviously, we
both are still struggling with it, as is everyone else. He helps me when I have my mental break downs
and I help him with his and that’s what everyone needs. When I go back to my apartment building later
in the night, where only three people (including myself) live, it’s like the apocalypse and its haunting to
live on your own at a young age, not able to go home.
In the past I have suffered with hardships, physical and mental health issues, and I have a
psychological disorder. I have a psychological disorder commonly known as ADHD. Because I have
ADHD, I am unable to focus well in school, and I take medicine to help with that. A side effect of my
medicine is depression, and lack of appetite, so that doesn’t really help the situation. Because we are
doing remote learning, school has been very difficult for me at this time, and I have had an anxiety
attack almost every day, but I think I had finally figured out how to keep up and roll with it. My daily
routine is to wake up take my medicine and start working on my homework for hours at a time with no
stopping. I tend to miss meals, but I just keep working until my medicine wears off 12 hours later.
Because I have no distraction from people, I feel like a robot that is stuck in the same routine, day to
day.
After my schoolwork is done all I really do is go on social media. I’ve seen a lot on social media
about corona virus and since this stay at home order. There’s so much negativity in the world and, you
feel like there’s no way to escape. Similar to how some feel about depression; some feel like there is no
way to escape. In this case there isn’t a way to escape, it’s like outside world depression, which
definitely can have an effect on people. There was a girl a few years younger than me who I went to
elementary school all the way to high school with, that had recently committed suicide because the selfisolation was too much for her to handle. I’m sure she had some underlying mental health issues, but
because of quarantine, she wasn’t able to get the help she needed. Understanding how depression
feels, she had two things that she wanted to escape from which was clearly too much for her mind to
handle ending in a very sad way.
Everyone needs to come together and be positive and up lifting during this time. Politicians
need to put their personal issues that they all have with each other aside and deal with the situation at
hand. Those protesting need to listen to authority, because they are trying to protect us. I truly believe
with everything going on, everyone needs to come together and put their selfish needs behind them
and we all need to work together so we can all solve this problem faster. Us Americans, are extremely
fortunate to have the access to water and food and shelter, and people all around the country are
protesting against our lockdown because they don’t realize all they have, and they can’t stand to not
stay inside, making everyone at risk. They need to notice that everyone in the world is going through
this and some in worse circumstances than them. I know people in Arusha Tanzania, Africa that are
way worse off than us. A friend of mine that I met while spending time in Tanzania, reached out to my
mom and told her that he is scared. He wasn’t scared about getting/dying from the corona virus, he said
he is scared because they are at a significantly higher risk of dying of starvation, than the corona virus.
Their grocery stores and markets are either bone dry and they don’t have any access to food or
�because of quarantine they can’t work and make money to buy food. “We work today for our food
today.” The people there, don’t have enough money or resources to stock up on food and supplies like
us, they literally have to keep working to just to have food for that night. That’s what we are taking for
granted.
All of the extra drama that is being caused because of arguing between people or politicians is
childish. Obviously, none of us want this, none of us like being locked inside, but we need to do it and
follow the rules in order to protect our loved ones and ourselves. We will get through this. Instead of
bashing and hating on everyone and everything we need to be praising those who are working 60-70
hours a week trying to solve this problem or save people’s lives or finding a vaccine. It’s hard to find
positivity with everything going on, but we need to keep trying because eventually the light at the end of
the tunnel will be the only thing keeping us going.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID-19 Journals
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled.
The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Subject
The topic of the resource
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
COVID-19_2020-04-24_ANON_020
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Anonymous
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-04-24
Title
A name given to the resource
U.S. Isolation
Description
An account of the resource
Journal from an anonymous GVSU student during the COVID-19 pandemic. Describes "How Im personally dealing with Covid-19 and how my friends and family are being effected, and what society as a whole needs to do in order to help get rid of the virus."
Subject
The topic of the resource
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1e6c71f1d895087fcc682304164ca17a.pdf
d8ab380cfd8bf4cf373980d08542c843
PDF Text
Text
4/21/2020
COVID-19 Journal
With the rise of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) in the United States many individuals have been
uprooted and displaced. As a college student, I myself have had a few experiences as such. I was lucky
enough to have chosen this year to live off campus, so I was not forced to move off campus and back
home like many others. This did affect other aspects of my life such as my education, organizations/
extra curriculars, and job. With my education I was put in an exceedingly difficult predicament
surrounding the coronavirus as I am a science major. I had two 4 credit courses which included labs this
semester: anatomy and physiology, as well as organic chemistry. For me I have an awfully hard time
concentrating at home doing schoolwork, so I often do it at the library or between classes. This was
EXTREMELY difficult for me, especially the chemistry class because that was my hardest course this
semester. Losing the in-class time and face-to-face instruction caused a noticeable drop within my GPA
and has made this time even more stressful that it was before.
My daily life has changed extremely as well. Since Covid-19 has hit my friends who are seen as
essential workers and live in other cities and/or states have been displaced by the university and are
staying at my apartment with me and one of my other roommates. Within my family I lost spending
time with my mother for her birthday and the upcoming Mother’s day holiday. I also was not able to
attend a funeral for my grandmother who passed in the beginning of March.
I am considered an essential worker, as I work at a plasma center off campus. Our company
hours and the hours I work are still the same and majority of the workers have stayed. We have lost a
handful that were students and others who were immunocompromised. We are not hiring many people
or having our annual audits and other normal business meetings until the virus subsides more. We have
PPE available to us and receive a new disposable mask each and every day.
The virus has affected much of my life such as school, work, and family. It has been extremely
stressful and hopefully it comes to an end soon.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID-19 Journals
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled.
The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Subject
The topic of the resource
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
COVID-19_2020-04-25_ANON_021
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Anonymous
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-04-25
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID-19
Description
An account of the resource
Journal from an anonymous GVSU student during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Subject
The topic of the resource
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a68cc87a96c0dd9b169b0185d37da44c.pdf
411aa92b8286ea14cafbd5a745f117ef
PDF Text
Text
Covid-19 Journal
Hello, my name is [redacted] and I am a student at Grand Valley State University.
I am going to begin talking about my personal experiences so far of being in the middle
of this pandemic as a college student.Throughout this pandemic, everyone (including
myself) has had to experience significant changes in our daily lives. Although most of
the students at GVSU have moved off campus and back home, I am still at my
apartment due to my job at a nursing home. Having to work during a time like this can
be a bit stressful. Although having to suddenly adjust to online classes in the middle of
the semester was a little confusing, the professors and the university did an outstanding
job on helping us students adapt to the immediate change. Students adapt differently to
situations like these which explains why some students may be struggling in their
classes. However, I am doing well in all of my online classes. My home life at my
apartment is pretty boring when i'm not working or doing homework hence the fact that
nobody can go anywhere unless it's a necessity. To keep myself occupied, I have built
puzzles, played video games, went on bike rides, and discovered a few new interests.
To stay safe from covid-19, I have made sure to stay up on keeping my hands clean
and not surrounding myself with groups of people. Although I have to wear a mask while
working, I don't wear a mask when I get gas or go to the grocery store. Although I have
seen a good amount of people wearing masks at the grocery store, I just wear gloves
and make sure I don't touch anything of mine until I take the gloves off. If i'm out in
public, I also try my best to stay at least 6 feet away from people. I made sure to stock
up on essential items like toilet paper early, although many people I know have
experienced shortages with essential goods. Currently, I don’t personally know anyone
that has been infected from covid-19, although many people in the state of Michigan
have been. Times like this are very hard on people but the most important things to do
are staying clean, isolated, and aware. I hope everyone stays safe and we can get
through this together!
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID-19 Journals
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled.
The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Subject
The topic of the resource
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
COVID-19_2020-04-25_ANON_022
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Anonymous
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-04-25
Title
A name given to the resource
Covid-19 journal
Description
An account of the resource
Journal from an anonymous GVSU student during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Subject
The topic of the resource
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng